Mental Health Foundation

Boost your mental health with mindfulness. When life gets overwhelming, reconnecting with yourself through mindfulness is a powerful way to find balance. It’s about pausing, breathing, and staying present in the moment. Here are some mindful practices to integrate into your day: Mindful walking: Walk at a natural pace and pay attention to the lifting and falling of your foot. Meditation: Start each day with a moment of meditation. Reflecting can bring positivity and calm. These small acts of mindfulness can bring a sense of peace and clarity to your day. What mindfulness practices do you incorporate into your routine? Share your tips in the comments below. Find more tips on mindfulness here: https://bit.ly/3T8SeWx #MentalHealth #Mindfulness #MindfulTips

Over the past few weeks, we have heard from our partners and staff how this summer’s racist riots impacted their mental health. We can’t stay silent on this. The refugees and people seeking asylum that we support are now telling us they are afraid to leave the house. Many tell us of the confusion and anxiety they’re experiencing. We’ve heard from someone whose friend was attacked in the streets just because of the colour of their skin, and another who’s afraid to go to the park now, in case they are racially abused. People seeking asylum were already 5 times more likely to experience mental health needs than other people, but less likely to get the help they need. Discrimination and dehumanising language have been damaging the mental health of people seeking asylum for years. This summer’s riots have only made things worse. In this blog, we explain how the refugees and people seeking asylum who we work with have been affected by these events, and by a decade of dehumanising language – and how the Mental Health Foundation will be doing our part to change the landscape. Read more: https://bit.ly/4dxb8hh

Adventure can boost your mental health and promote positive emotions such as excitement, joy and wonder. It can also help us build a healthy relationship with uncertainty as we face challenges and risks through adventure. For children and young people, adventure offers opportunities for learning and development, supporting them to live healthy and fulfilling lives. We explore how adventure can boost children’s mental health, based on research by AdventureMind - led by their founder, Belinda Kirk. Read our blog: https://bit.ly/3X5TcVd

It’s World Photo Day! 📷 There’s a lot of power in pictures. “A picture speaks a thousand words”. And when it comes to mental health, there’s so much that can be said by a photo. Our research has shown that people often feel like they can’t relate to the images that the media use when they talk about the things that can help our mental health. We wanted to change that. So, we created a free image library that represents real people looking after their mental health. 🖼️ Here are four images from our library, that show how different people look after their mental health - from spending time in nature, to connecting with others. Visit our image library here: https://bit.ly/3LWUJXn

Our feelings can affect all aspects of our lives: our relationships, work, study, sleep, and hobbies. But it’s not always easy to understand our feelings, and it can be even harder to manage them – particularly when we’re upset. Learning to understand and manage your feelings can help your mental health. 💜 Read our tips: 1/ Try to give your feelings attention without judging them, or yourself for having them. 2/ Try to name what you’re feeling, and what has led you to feel this way. 3/ Practice kind self-talk, giving yourself the same kindness as you would give to a friend. 4/ Try writing down your feelings to help you understand what they are. 5/ Try repeating something positive about yourself a few times a day (often called a “mantra”). 🔗 Find more evidence-backed tips: https://bit.ly/3ZnU6Mt

Panic attacks can be frightening. But there are things you can do during a panic attack that help, like breathing and grounding techniques. There are also things you can do to reduce or prevent panic attacks. Read our guide on panic attacks: https://bit.ly/3YNWmfG

As disturbing events unfold around the world, and traumatic scenes are witnessed on the news and online every day, it's important to take note of the impact on our mental health. People may be experiencing uncertainty, fear, anxiety and feelings of loss of control. For those with loved ones affected, or who have been through similar experiences themselves, the effect can be particularly severe. We have created advice to help people cope and support each other in these uncertain times. 🔗 Find it here: https://bit.ly/4ce5Shg

📢 To mark International Youth Day, we're highlighting what needs to be done to support young people's mental health. Young people deserve good mental health. Yet far too many are experiencing mental health problems and are not getting the early help they need. 💡 More needs to be done to protect young people’s mental health and prevent them from developing mental health problems. One important way to better protect the mental health of children and young people is through the institutions that shape so much of their lives, such as schools and colleges. 👉 Every school and college should be a mentally healthy place for children and young people. This includes tackling racism and other forms of discrimination. 👉 Central and local governments need to provide the sorts of programmes that we know are effective for protecting people’s mental health all across the UK, for example, anti-bullying programmes for all children. Find out more about the change we’re demanding for children and young people’s mental health: https://bit.ly/3RTNmDC

Being open-minded and trying new things can have a positive effect on our mental health. This could be something small, like changing what we eat for breakfast, where we go for a walk, or where we sit in the office. Or it could be something that needs planning, like an adventure holiday, or joining a sports team or social group. Trying new experiences and experimenting with how we do things can make life more interesting and rewarding. It can also help us break habits that might not be good for our mental health. Get more research-backed mental health tips: https://bit.ly/3ZnU6Mt

We all go through tough times. And often, it’s those around us who help us get through it. But it’s not always easy to know what to do when someone you care about is struggling with their mental health. Read our advice on supporting someone with their mental health: https://bit.ly/4d0IXHB